A Deal with the Devil
by gingeringfigs
Summary: Dying was easy but living is the hardest thing to do as Namikaze Minato discovers for himself after making a deal with Shinigami – with literally deadly consequences, should he fail.
1. Awakening

**Title:** A Deal with the Devil

**Author:** ofphenwa

**Rating:** R – NC17

**Warnings:** Violence

**Summary:** Dying was easy but living is the hardest thing to do as Namikaze Minato discovers for himself after making a deal with Shinigami – with literally deadly consequences, should he fail.

**Notes:** This was written before the events of Chapter 500 onwards and hence, there will be some incongruities with canon (i.e The events of Kyuubi's Attack). This is massively AU. (Yeah, this was sitting on my hard-drive for months, collecting dust.)

* * *

><p><em>There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,<em>

_Than are dreamt of in your philosophy._

_**Hamlet, Act I Scene V**_

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 1: Awakening<span>**

The last thing he remembered was fire. Giant red flames as tall as the trees around Konoha that consumed everything in their wake, wreaking death and destruction. He remembered thick black smoke that stung his eyes and made him choke. The smoke had stained his pristine white cloak grey with fine ash. He remembered being afraid and immensely sad. He remembered regret. He had carried a baby in his arms, so small and delicate that the child almost disappeared into the pale blue blankets swaddling him.

He had kissed the baby's head, crowned with feathery blond hair and the baby's eyes opened, revealing them to be a bright clear blue, so much like his mother's eyes in shape. Choking on thick ash and feeling chilled, he bled freely from his forearms, blood scrawled as neatly as he could with trembling arms and dimming vision into a massive seal onto the baby's stomach, wishing with all his might that he didn't have to do this.

The baby didn't cry out once and he was so proud of the baby, _his_ child, _her_ child, the child who would save them all. Feeling as though ice was stabbing his heart, he summoned the terrible Shinigami and sealed away the equally terrible demon into his child's stomach. The child wailed as Kyuubi burned six lines into his cheeks in its final terrible act and his heart clenched. His arms couldn't move any more, even though he wanted to hold his child for one last time, to soothe his cries. His heart stopped.

_Naruto… I'm so sorry._

* * *

><p>His heart beat, a tremendous shuddering in his chest. Once stagnant blood flowed through his veins and it was agonising like thousands of needles piercing him at once. He breathed, his chest expanding with his first breath in years. He opened his eyes and was nearly blinded by the bright sunlight shining directly into his eyes. He immediately covered them with his hand - it was no longer covered with his blood and the first thing he remembered was… He murmured a single word, finally recalling all his memories he had lost in the dark void with that word that meant everything to him, <em>"Naruto."<em>

A great need to find Naruto consumed him and Namikaze Minato, the resurrected Yondaime Hokage, quickly looked around to ascertain his location despite his nausea. He was in some underground ruins of a laboratory – broken machines and medicine cabinets were scattered around him. Dappled sunlight spilled through overgrown weed and cracks in the rocks in the heavily damaged ceiling. He was nude and covered with some sort of slimy clear liquid, much like amniotic fluids; the same liquid pooling at his feet and leaking out of the strange metal capsule he was in.

Minato swiftly kicked open the glass door and climbed out of the capsule, a thousand questions regarding his unusual situation flying around in his head. How was he alive again? Why was he alive? Where was he? How many years had passed? There were too many questions and no answers. Goosebumps immediately appeared on his skin from the damp chill and reminded him that he needed to wash off the fluid and find some clothes first before he could even begin to find his answers.

Luckily for him, there were some spare clothes remaining in one of the relatively intact closets. He quickly dressed and started looking around for a way to leave this dreary place. If Minato had been in a clearer state of mind, he would have been suspicious about why and how he'd been mysteriously resurrected. But right now, disorientated and freshly back from the dead, Minato was not in the mood for deep thinking. All he wanted to do right now was to find his son Naruto and make sure that he was safe.

* * *

><p>Approximately three hours later, Minato had successfully gotten out of the underground labyrinthine complex with much effort, his body initially weak from years of inactivity and surroundings unfamiliar to him. He was now slowly walking along a stream, his body getting used to motion once more and strengthening quickly. He was in giddy euphoria, relishing the myriad varieties of sensations, sights, smells and sounds that bombarded him. It was so wonderful to be alive again.<p>

But the euphoria soon faded as the reality of his situation finally caught up with him. Minato had completely no idea where he was. And not to mention… he hadn't aged a single day since his death; his smooth youthful face staring back at him from the water surface. He wasn't sure of how to feel about this – was it a good or bad thing? Minato raked his hand through his blond hair with a discomfited grimace; if he was in Earth Country, this was going to be very bad for him as Iwa nins' memories were long and they bore grudges like nobody else's business. He wasn't sure if he was still as good as he had been before his death and he wasn't eager to find out so soon. No thanks, he'd rather live than return to the void of Shinigami's stomach.

He finally emerged from the forest to see large fields of rice stretching out before him, still feeling fresh despite having travelled for hours. The ripe rice fields rippled gold under the hot sun and he could see a lone farmer bent over as he harvested the rice. Before approaching the farmer, Minato disguised himself as a nondescript brown-haired man with an illusion and carefully masked his chakra signature. It didn't hurt to be cautious.

Minato soon learned that he was in Rice Country, which meant that it would take him at least two days to reach Konoha at walking pace. If he wanted, he could reach Konoha within a day if he ran flat-out. Before he left, he asked the farmer, "What date and year is it?" The farmer raised an eyebrow at the odd question but he answered anyway, causing Minato to reel when he heard the date.

_It's been thirteen years…?_

Though he knew that this might happen, it was still a huge shock. Just how much would have changed in the past decade? Forcefully suppressing his turbulent emotions and thoughts, Minato thanked the farmer and hurriedly headed in the direction the farmer pointed him towards. He didn't want to waste a single second – who knew how long he had before Shinigami caught up with him? Minato was determined to meet Naruto before Shinigami retrieved his soul.

* * *

><p>On the roof of the Hokage Tower, three elderly people gathered together. Their wizened faces were stern and humourless. As Sarutobi's advisors and Konoha's Elders, they were the ones who now controlled the fate of Konoha in the late Sandaime Sarutobi's passing and they had much to do in so little time. The one-eyed man Danzo glanced in the direction of the hospital and said, "The Uzumaki boy is becoming too dangerous. We should remove him from his genin team and have him trained properly."<p>

Homura rebutted, "Naruto is unlikely to release the Kyuubi, if that's what you mean by 'dangerous'. You know what Hiruzen said. Naruto would die if he ever tried to do that."

"I know. What I mean to say, is that the boy is becoming too powerful. You saw that chakra, didn't you? When he was fighting against the former Rookie Genius Hyuuga Neji, everyone felt that malevolent chakra. I've also received reports that the boy was seen fighting the Shuukaku container and that he won. There were also disturbing reported sightings of the "Kyuubi" in that battle – though it was apparently the Toad Boss Summon in a combined henge, so we will ignore that for now. I think we should induct him into ANBU."

Koharu replied sharply, "Absolutely not, Danzo. The Sandaime's will was very clear that Naruto was not to be treated as a weapon. We cannot allow you to take Naruto into your custody. Naruto will remain with Team Seven under Kakashi's command."

"Sarutobi is dead. The situation now has changed – Konoha needs strength now at its time of most need and Naruto will be that strength. I doubt that Kakashi is able to teach Naruto what he needs to know as Naruto requires unconventional learning methods. Kakashi is a good ninja but a lousy teacher, don't you agree?" Danzo smoothly replied, undeterred by their rebuffs. Homura hummed thoughtfully, considering his words.

Koharu pursed her lips and replied sourly, "We need a new Hokage, not a weapon. Naruto stays with Team 7. Period."

"Ah yes, we were supposed to discuss our potential candidates for the Hokage seat as well. I've been considering Jiraiya for the position as he was Sarutobi's student and one of the legendary Sannin." Homura acknowledged her as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

Danzo folded his good arm into his robe and acquiesced, "I have no objections. But somehow, I do not think that he will agree. Jiraiya's never been one for responsibility."

Koharu tartly said, "We'll just have to ask him then. Come, Homura. We need to find Jiraiya."

When Koharu and Homura had left, Danzo turned his head to look up at Sarutobi's giant stone head on the Hokage Mountain. The sculpture remained stonily silent, its blank stare fixed into the distance. With a grunt, Danzo limped down the stairs with the help of his cane.

* * *

><p>As Minato came closer to his destination, he began to notice a faint tugging sensation in his mind and heart that inexorably grew stronger with every inch he gained. He instinctively knew that if he followed this call, it would lead him straight to his son. By late afternoon, he finally reached the outskirts of the forests surrounding Konoha, skilfully avoiding the routine patrols as only a Kage-level ninja could. He had sprinted all the way at his highest speed, which was extremely fast indeed even without his Hiraishin; without taking a break and he felt like he could still keep on running. Minato was slightly perturbed by the inexplicable increase in his physical abilities but as it allowed him to be with Naruto much sooner, he felt deeply grateful. He would worry about what his new abilities meant later.<p>

He easily slipped past the protective barrier by authorising his entry with his chakra – evidently, there was a loophole in the barrier that still recognised Hokages, even if they technically weren't a Hokage anymore or "living". This was something that the current Hokage, whoever he may be, would have to fix. Keeping to the shadows and staying low-key, Minato immediately headed for the Konoha General Hospital – the mental pull was much stronger now and pointed in its general direction.

Arriving at the hospital in about half an hour after repeatedly backtracking and taking circular routes to make sure he wasn't being followed, Minato disguised himself as a nondescript brunette. Then he confidently went up to the counter and demanded to know where Naruto was warded, projecting authority in his voice. The receptionist's expression blanked at the mention of Naruto, rousing Minato's suspicion. Nevertheless, she politely gave him the number of Naruto's room. He smiled politely, "Thank you for your kind service, madam."

As he left, his sharp ears caught her muttering vehemently under her breath, _"Why would anyone want to see the demon?"_

It was like ice-cold water had been dumped over Minato. He was immediately filled with an intense desire to hit the receptionist for daring to speak of his son in such a hateful way. He clenched his fists and jaw, reigning in his anger and forced himself to walk. He couldn't cause a ruckus now, right in the middle of hospital when Naruto was so _close_.

In fact, Minato could feel a warm and large chakra signature gently pulsing in time with his heart-beat. He instinctively knew straight away that it was his son's, having felt it before a long time ago, when he had held Naruto in his arms. His son's chakra felt so bright and beautiful, creating the impression of the sun reflecting off the vast ocean in his mind's eye. Minato quickened his steps, his heart beating rapidly with anticipation.

Finally reaching the door of the ward Naruto was in, Minato could feel his son's presence stronger than ever. Naruto's vibrant life-force resonated so strongly within him that he was helpless to resist, his hand pushing the door open. The small room was brightly lit by the late afternoon sunlight streaming through a glass window. Beside the window, there was an IV drip beside the solitary bed with a person in it. From the distance, he could only make out a mop of bright yellow hair that shone like gold in the sunlight. Minato felt like he couldn't breathe as he unconsciously stepped closer to the bed, to where Naruto was. When Minato was close enough to finally see Naruto clearly, his heart felt like it would burst.

"Kushina… if only you could see how much he's grown…"

Sinking to his knees beside the bed, Minato brushed Naruto's hair from his face with a trembling hand, unable to believe reality. He absently noted the IV needle piercing his son's wrist and secured with bandages. The peacefully sleeping Naruto didn't stir, humming in sleepy contentment. Naruto's hair felt soft and smooth, reminding Minato of Kushina's long red hair that had felt like silk when he ran his hands through her hair.

While Minato could immediately see that Naruto had his colouring, close examination allowed him to see that Naruto had inherited most of Kushina's looks – he could see her in his nose, in his full lips and the rounded curves of his cheeks and jaw. Minato covered his mouth with his other hand, stifling his cries as he finally allowed himself to grieve for Kushina and celebrate his joy at finally being reunited with his son.

After what seemed like an eternity, Minato finally calmed. His grief no longer felt so vivid and was more bearable. He felt truly reborn for the first time since he woke up in that abandoned laboratory. Wiping away his tears, Minato smiled softly at the sight of Naruto still dozing away, having slept through his mourning.

Emboldened, Minato took the risk of touching Naruto's cheek, lightly tracing the whisker-like marks and carefully avoiding the bandages so as to not hurt Naruto. His eyes dimmed at the physical reminder of that night. Naruto stirred, his eyes fluttering open for the slightest of moments before closing shut as he turned his head into Minato's hand, a small smile spreading across his face.

Minato was frozen, his hand unmoving. He was quite stunned to see that while Naruto's eyes were like Kushina's in shape, the colour of his eyes was his own, neither the mesmerising violet of Kushina's eyes nor the deep ocean-blue of Minato's eyes. Instead, they were the hue of the azure sky, just like Minato dimly remembered from the day he had died. Naruto made a disgruntled unintelligible noise and Minato resumed stroking Naruto's cheek, his eyes softening as he apologised, "I'm sorry if I disturbed your sleep. I just… I'm so very glad to see you again."

Naruto didn't reply but he did smile in his slumber as though he had heard him. Minato sighed contentedly, wishing that this lovely peaceful moment could last forever. He also hoped that Naruto would wake soon because he looked forward to speaking with him and learning more about his son.

Unfortunately, the peaceful moment was rudely broken when Minato sensed a group of ninja approaching the room at high velocity. Quickly hiding himself, he watched four masked ANBU appear in the ward. He kept still and hid his breathing as he crouched above them on the ceiling, using a small genjutsu to keep them from noticing his presence. Why was ANBU here? Had they discovered his presence and sought to apprehend him? If that was the case, Minato had the feeling that they would probably try to kill him first, thinking him an imposter rather than the real (ex-)Yondaime Hokage. After all, he still looked like he was in his twenties instead of being in his late thirties.

"Secure the boy. We will bring him to Danzo-sama."

The leader gestured to the unconscious Naruto. Two others nodded and stepped closer to the bed. Before they could touch Naruto, they were suddenly blocked and thrown backwards by a stranger. Immediately, the Root ANBU went on alert, uneasy that they had somehow missed the presence of the mysterious stranger who was now murderously glaring at them.

"What does Root want with Naruto?"

"Eliminate him! No one must know of our mission." Not deigning to answer the stranger, the leader ordered his squad to attack him. No one could know of the truth behind Naruto's disappearance tonight. The ANBU jumped with their swords raised, aiming to kill the man.

Minato snarled and his eyes flashed dangerously as he dropped his disguise, shocking the Root ANBU with his true appearance. Before the ANBU could react, he had already blurred out of sight. The one closest to Naruto fell backwards with blood spraying from his mauled throat; the white of his spine gleamed through the savaged flesh. Before the first drop of red blood even landed on the pristine white floor, the Root had been decimated to the last man without being given the chance to fight back.

Minato reappeared in front of the last ANBU. His eyes were flinty. As the ANBU quailed in fear, his pupils seemed to grow outwards, consuming his eyes until they were completely pitch-black. It was a frightening sight: a ghost of a dead Hokage with pitch-black eyes, surrounded by the blood of dying men at his feet. Despite being the instigator of the carnage, Minato was clean of blood, which only made him even more terrifying to the last ANBU. His knees failing him and feeling like he was suffocating and being crushed in the demon's overwhelming killing intent, the ANBU moaned fearfully, "Monster…!"


	2. Family

**Title: **A Deal with the Devil

**Author: **ofphenwa

**Warnings:** Violence

**Rating: **R

**Summary: **Dying was easy but living is the hardest thing to do as Namikaze Minato discovers for himself after making a deal with Shinigami – with literally deadly consequences, should he fail.

* * *

><p><em>It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons. <em>

_**Johann Schiller**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Family<strong>

Danzo stared at the wrecked and bloody scene of Uzumaki's ward in consternation. Uzumaki was nowhere to be found. How had that demon container managed to kill his men without raising an alarm? Either the boy had done the impossible or there was a third unknown party who had been inside the room with him at the time of the mission – had Kyuubi somehow manifested? The fatal wounds on the corpses were horrific indeed and looked like a beast had made them. But he would never know the answer, because there was no one left alive to speak.

Danzo curtly ordered his subordinate, "Clean it up and tell no one about this." Then he spun around on his heel and left the ward without a further word. Koharu and Homura could not know of his hand in this botched affair. But perhaps, he could use this situation to his advantage… even if it meant rearranging his plans. The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry indeed.

* * *

><p>Naruto's body felt sluggish and heavy as though his limbs were made of lead. Even opening his eyelids was a huge strain on his body. Naruto's vision was blurry and he felt wind on his face. Huge blobs of green and brown zoomed past with the occasional patches of blue and white. He was being carried in warm and strong arms and a pleasant nostalgic scent of sandalwood and pine filled his nose. It aroused such a strong feeling of safety and reminded him of home that he didn't feel the urge to struggle. He peered up to try and see who was carrying him. The bright sun created something like a halo around the man's head, at first making it hard to see his features. When Naruto could finally see, he smiled and said softly, "Hey, Yondaime-sama. Thanks for the ride."<p>

Then, Naruto sighed contentedly and burrowed deeper into the comfortable embrace and shut his eyes, enjoying the breeze and feeling the man's heart beating reassuringly beneath his cheek. Yondaime's arms tightened around him protectively, making Naruto hum with contentment. It was the nicest dream Naruto had. Before he drifted off, he had the faintest impression of being kissed on his forehead.

Time passed like a dream.

Naruto slowly woke up, feeling pleasantly warm and safe. The pillows he was lying on were the largest, fluffiest and softest pillows he had ever slept on and the bed was so comfortable that he was tempted to doze off again. Naruto frowned slightly when he did not recognise the ceiling to be the familiar dreary greyish-white ceiling of the hospital or the cracked ceiling of his small apartment. Instead, it was a high ceiling with dark wooden panelling. He was slightly bewildered as to where he was but he did not feel any fear. After all, there was no sense of danger nearby that pinged his well-honed survival instincts.

Naruto yawned and smiled dopily. He had dreamed that the Yondaime had carried him through a forest. That was pretty awesome. Though, too bad it had been just a dream. There was no way the Yondaime could be alive. But where the heck was he now? Luckily for Naruto, there was a window in the room so he hopped off the bed and walked over to the window to see where he was. He placed his hands on the window shutters and pushed them wide open. A blast of bracing briny air slapped his face and his remaining sleepiness away. Naruto gasped at what he saw. An ocean, deep and blue as far as he could see! He was in a house on a hill next to the ocean.

_Okaaaayy, I'm not in Konoha anymore. _

Gaping at the foreign but beautiful scenery, Naruto almost missed the click of the door lock opening. Leaping quickly behind the bed to put some distance between him and his kidnapper, Naruto held a defensive pose only to be struck speechless when he found that he recognised the man. It was the freaking Yondaime Hokage! But common sense quickly prevailed and with a ferocious yell; Naruto launched himself at the imposter.

* * *

><p>Minato stretched his arms; loosening up his stiff muscles from the hard training he had been doing for the past few hours to ascertain his new limitations. Everything was in working order and in fact, Minato's chakra reserves seemed to have mysteriously expanded. He was now capable of creating twenty Kage Bunshin; about the twice the number he could do before he died. Unfortunately, this also meant that his chakra control was shot and he would have to train up his control again. Nevertheless, it was an unexpected boon and Minato wasn't going to look the gift horse in the mouth. So he simply took it in stride.<p>

As he walked back to the small house, Minato admired the scenery. This used to be Uzumaki Kushina's ancestral home, before she, as the last Uzumaki, migrated to Konoha. The house was surprisingly still in good shape thanks to the stasis seals on it. Minato was grateful that Kushina had told him about her home, or he and Naruto would have been sleeping on the rocks instead. Wave Country, formerly Whirlpool Country, was quite a serene place and Minato could see why Kushina had missed her homeland so much. He thought that it would be a good place to hide out for a while with Naruto from Danzo's men until his son was strong enough to look after himself.

As Minato strolled back to their house, he wondered if Naruto was finally awake. It should be about time now that the sedatives had worn off. Minato had been quite furious to discover that his son had been drugged with enough sedatives to kill a man in preparation for his kidnapping. Such underhanded actions in broad daylight were a clear sign of how bad affairs in Konoha had become if Danzo and Root could afford to act in the open. He shivered to think of what could have happened to his son if he had not been there to stop the kidnapping. He finally noticed that the window of Naruto's room was open now, indicating that his son must now be awake.

Minato's heart beat rapidly as he ascended the stairs to Naruto's room. This was the first time his son would actually get to see and speak with him. There was a very large chance of Naruto reacting negatively on learning that Minato was his father and hence his father had been the one to seal Kyuubi inside him. Minato couldn't bear the thought of his son hating him for what he did. He would rather die instead. Gulping nervously, Minato's hand trembled as he gently pushed the door open. Naruto was standing behind the bed in a stance, which he vaguely recalled, from basic Academy taijutsu.

As Minato stared at his son, wondering what to say to him, a stunned expression spread across Naruto's expressive face as he recognised him. Then his face quickly set in a determined and hostile expression. With a ferocious yell, Naruto's fist suddenly flew towards his face and instinctively; Minato caught the hand and barely avoided the following ferocious left kick from Naruto. Plastering a grin on his face that belied his shaky confidence, Minato greeted, "You're looking in fine form, Naruto."

His blue eyes intense with determination, Naruto chambered his leg for another painful hard kick to Minato's knee. He was forced to tackle Naruto to the bed and hold him down with his larger frame to prevent his son from attacking him and not hurting him at the same time. It was much harder than it should have been as Naruto kept wriggling around like a slippery eel in his grasp and jabbing his bony elbows and knees painfully into his body. Luckily, Naruto didn't resort to biting though it increasingly looked like he might with every passing second. God, it was almost like trying to contain a wild hurricane, his namesake. Naruto hollered, "Who the heck are you and why did you kidnap me? Why are you pretending to be Yondaime-sama?"

Minato's nervousness completely dissipated in the face of Naruto's loud accusations and the rebellious glint in his eyes. It reminded him so much of Kushina. Naruto's personality was so much like Kushina's. He laughed quietly. Naruto temporarily stilled his struggles, confused by his laughter. Minato replied clearly, "I am no imposter, Naruto. Otherwise, my disguise would have dispelled by now with all the struggling you've been doing. I am Namikaze Minato, former Yondaime Hokage."

Naruto found it hard to comprehend what he was seeing and hearing. His instincts told that the man who claimed to be Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, was telling the truth and he had to admit that he wasn't in a henge as it would have dispelled with the few hard blows he had given the man. He asked in confusion, "But, but… didn't you die thirteen years ago? How did you come back? Why do you look so young?"

Minato let him go, seeing that his son was now willing to listen and not attack rashly. He explained, "Yes, I did die thirteen years ago. As for how I came back…I'm not sure. I just woke up in an abandoned laboratory in Rice Country a few days ago so I can only assume that someone was trying to resurrect me. They must have given up long ago as the laboratory was in such dilapidation that I'm surprised I actually came back at all. As for my youthful appearance…being dead for thirteen years tends to stop the aging process."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Naruto sceptically asked, eyeing the stranger who claimed to be the Yondaime suspiciously. It was just not possible for anyone to come back from the dead. He eyed the open windows and door, calculating his chances of successfully escaping from the Yondaime-lookalike.

Minato smiled and reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair affectionately but he aborted the movement halfway as he realised that his suspicious son wouldn't appreciate it. Awkwardly letting his hand drop to his lap, he replied, "Alright. I'll show you that I am the person whom I claim to be."

* * *

><p>"….W-wow. You <em>really <em>are the Yondaime Hokage…" Naruto stared at the man who was really the real Yondaime Hokage in awe. After carving some seals into a solid branch as a temporary replacement for his kunai, Minato had passed it to him and told him to hide it in a place only he knew. Minato would then use the legendary Hiraishin that only the Yondaime Hokage could use and retrieve the stick within seconds, thus proving his claim.

Naruto had not hidden it in the forest or the house but buried it firmly in the sand at the beach. When Minato appeared at the beach, he had been given a rude shock as a tidal wave crashed over him at that very moment. Sopping wet and cold, Minato took the sand-encrusted branch back to his son and Naruto finally conceded that he was telling the truth as he confirmed that it was the same branch.

Looking at the ground and blushing furiously, Naruto apologised, "I'm so sorry! If I'd known that you were the real Yondaime, I would never have planted the stick at the beach. I never meant to get you totally wet!" He was so mortified that he wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

Minato laughed as he picked out a strand of seaweed from his hair, "You did nothing wrong. It was just rather bad timing. Now that you believe me… I've got something important to tell you."

Looking up at Minato, Naruto curiously questioned, "What is it?"

Minato was now giving him the same serious look that Sandaime-jiji would give him when he had something very _important_ to say. Naruto suddenly got a funny feeling in his stomach, knowing somehow that it was going to be earth shattering in some way. Minato finally whispered, "I am…" He paused with a nervous look on his face before breathlessly finishing his sentence, "I am your father."

_The Yondaime Hokage was his father…?_

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Numbly, he heard himself say, "You're pulling my leg, aren't you? Hardeehar, very_ funny_. This is payback for getting you wet, isn't it?"

"No, I'm telling the truth. I would never lie to you, Naruto."

Minato's blue eyes were pleading and earnest. Naruto couldn't bear it. Stepping back out of Minato's reach and shaking violently with anger, he shouted at him, pointing an accusing finger at him, "Don't lie to me! If you were my father, then you would never have sealed Kyuubi inside me! You would never have chosen to die and leave me alone for nearly all my life! Do you know how much I've suffered? The hate, the fear the villagers had towards me… How…_dare_ you! Even if you're the Yondaime Hokage -"

"Yes, you're right." Naruto stopped, his body trembling as he listened to Minato speak. "I never should have sealed Kyuubi inside my son thirteen years ago. It was a choice I never wanted to make as a father. But as a Hokage, I had to, much to my painful regret and shame."

Minato sadly smiled at his son, "For it's worth, I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you. Even if you won't forgive me, please let me be by your side as I should always have been…"

Naruto's arm dropped limply to his side as his fury ebbed away. He felt so emotionally drained and looking into Minato's eyes, he saw something that he desperately craved for so long and with such intensity that it scared him. Then he recalled the strange dream he had earlier and realised with a jolt of shock that it might have been a very real memory. Shyly and with a seed of hope in his heart, he asked, "That dream I had earlier… The one where you were carrying me through the forest… Was it real?"

"…Yes." Minato hesitantly answered, bracing himself for his son's inevitable response.

"Oh." His breath whooshed out of him in astonishment and in its wake, a curious joy almost like the time he'd heard Iruka's speech on the night he became a genin spread through him. Blinking rapidly, he awkwardly said, "Um, well, thanks for the ride…" Naruto self-consciously rubbed his nose, "This is quite a lot to take in…but well, it's kinda cool to have you as my father, I guess."

Minato blinked dumbly as he processed what Naruto had just said. When it finally hit him, he could not help but smile brilliantly as relief and happiness coursed through him. Too fast for Naruto to see and react; he swept his son up into a tight embrace as he murmured into his ear; "_Thank you."_

Naruto stiffened initially at the unfamiliar contact but he soon relaxed when he realised that Minato was merely hugging him. Aside from the cold wetness, it actually felt… pretty good. It felt like he'd returned home. Feeling self-conscious, he half-heartedly squirmed in his father's cold and wet hug as he muttered, "…Let me go. You're getting me wet!" Minato only laughed and refused to let him go.

* * *

><p>A calm, deep voice declared, "So it is decided. Hence forth, Genin Uzumaki Naruto, Shinobi ID 012607, is now an S-ranked missing nin and will be interred into the Bingo Book. All Konoha shinobi are to apprehend him and bring him back alive to Konoha on sight."<p>

A rustle of paper was faint; someone was turning over the pages. The same voice spoke again, "However, if Uzumaki is covered with red chakra, do not attempt to engage him in combat, as the red chakra is toxic and we are all well aware thanks to the night of the Kyuubi Attack. Uzumaki is also too powerful and dangerous to fight with when he is in this state. We do not wish to lose any more men now that Konoha is in the reconstruction process. We do not look kindly on traitors who kill their fellow comrades in cold blood and betray Konoha. Are there any further questions before we close this session?"

A stony silence ensued. No one spoke even after a few long minutes.

"Council is dismissed."

* * *

><p>Haruno Sakura was wondering where Uzumaki Naruto had disappeared. It had been days since she last saw him during the Chuunin Exams Invasion. She didn't even see Naruto at the memorial ceremony a few days ago. Waiting at the red bridge, their usual meeting place, Sakura perked up when she saw Sasuke walking towards her. She politely greeted him, "Good morning, Sasuke-kun."<p>

"Hn."

Sasuke seemed to be so intense lately. It was as if nothing except training existed for Sasuke. It had gotten worse, now that Naruto wasn't around. Kakashi-sensei also seemed to be ultra-tense lately, as well. He hadn't even pulled his perverted orange book once when he was with them. She was sure that all this had happened because of Naruto's absence, and she didn't know what to do. She hated to admit it but she also felt concerned about Naruto, but only as a teammate, honest! Naruto was… strong and stubborn. He wasn't the type to go down so easily. When Naruto finally showed his face, Sakura was going to give him her piece of her mind for making his team worry so much about him.

"Sakura, Sasuke. I will be away for a mission so there will be no training today. A replacement Jounin will train you while I'm away."

_Kakashi-sensei was punctual today! _Pinching herself discreetly to make sure that it wasn't a dream, Sakura boggled at her Jounin teacher. He actually looked deadly serious; like that time they went on the Wave mission. Sasuke frowned, but he nodded and walked off somewhere to be alone.

Sakura watched Sasuke go, wanting to chase after him but she had too many questions to ask Kakashi-sensei. Turning to the grey-haired Jounin, she asked, "Where's Naruto? What happened to him? We haven't seen him for days. He didn't even show up for the funeral!"

Kakashi's black eye rested on her and Sakura shivered at the blankness she saw. But she held firm. Kakashi seemed to smile at her but it was hard to tell with that stupid mask in the way. Kakashi brought out his familiar orange book and flipped it open to start reading. Sakura felt indignation rising when Kakashi finally drawled, "Naruto's on a vacation trip. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Sakura nearly shouted at her perverted teacher to put that book away, but she stopped short when her feminine intuition told her that something wasn't quite right. She couldn't name it but was Kakashi actually… angry?

"Is something wrong, Kakashi-sensei? Naruto's ok, isn't he?"

Kakashi didn't answer Sakura, too absorbed in his book as he disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Sakura growled in an unladylike manner and kicked the bridge post that her teacher had been leaning against.

"Stupid sensei! Why won't he tell me what's going on?"

Slumping against the post, Sakura suddenly felt so alone, never realising just how much she actually missed Naruto now that the blond boy was gone. Chasing after Sasuke suddenly didn't seem so important now. Listlessly watching the clouds, Sakura whispered to herself, "Naruto, you idiot. You better be ok and come back soon! I'll even go out on a date with you once."

The next day, Sakura learned that Uzumaki Naruto was now an S-ranked missing nin, and accused of murdering four ANBU.


	3. Games

_**Title:** A Deal with the Devil  
><strong>Author:<strong> **ofphenwa**  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R – NC17  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Violence  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Dying was easy but living is the hardest thing to do as Namikaze Minato discovers for himself after making a deal with Shinigami – with literally deadly consequences, should he fail.  
><strong>Notes:<strong> It helps if you know Japanese mythology as you'll enjoy the story more, I think._

* * *

><p><em>I'm not afraid of death. It's the stake one puts up in order to play the game of life.<em>

**_Jean Giraudoux, Amphitryon, 1929_**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 3: Games<span>**

Naruto was now performing his routine morning exercises down at the beach. His movements were stiffer than usual because he was nervous due to Minato watching him from the sidelines. He still couldn't get over the fact that his long-time idol was actually his real father. Even calling him "Dad" felt strange so he usually called him by his name instead. He even occasionally lapsed into calling him, "Yondaime-sama". Fortunately, Minato didn't mind, aware of his son's awkwardness around him. He understood where Naruto was coming from and even though it pained him that Naruto didn't see him as his father, he decided to give his son some breathing space and as much time as he needed. He was quite happily contented to simply watch Naruto train. He committed every single detail to memory, treasuring the miraculous time he had with his child. It was such a shame that Kushina was not here with them.

Naruto felt really self-conscious and he could practically feel Minato's eyes on him like a heavy weight. Water-walking was harder than usual as his mental focus wavered. It didn't help that the constantly moving seawater required a different flow of chakra from the still waters he was used to.

"I'll like to teach you. Are you be willing to be my student?" Minato suddenly asked. Surprised by the sudden question, Naruto almost lost control of his chakra and nearly sank into the sea. Facing Minato with a wide-eyed look, he incredulously said, "…Really?"

"Yes. I want you to be my student. It's what I've always wanted to do when I learned that I would be having a son… I thought I had lost the chance thirteen years ago but now…" Minato looked so awkward that Naruto felt second hand embarrassment. It was just so strange to see the Yellow Flash look so flustered when all pictures and records of him usually depicted him as a cool-headed and serious man. But it made him much more approachable and human… Wait, he was getting the chance to be taught by the Yondaime? Eat that, Sasuke!

"Hell yes! I'll do my best to learn everything from you. Please teach me!" Naruto eagerly agreed, his eyes burning with determination. Minato chuckled at Naruto's enthusiastic response, remembering his mother Kushina who had been much the same way.

"Very well. We'll start right now."

He stood up and dusted off the sand from his pants before tucking in his hands into his pockets. With a challenging smile, Minato said, "Do your best to hit me."

"Bring it on!"

Naruto grinned as he lunged towards Minato, kicking up sand and water behind him. Within moments, he was already in arm's reach and he swung his fist. But before Naruto could even touch him, Minato had already stepped out of his reach and sent him sprawling to the ground with a simple leg sweep. It all happened so fast that he almost wondered how he ended up in the sand.

"Want to try again?" Minato asked with a gleeful glint in his eye. Spitting out sand from his mouth, Naruto narrowed his eyes and attacked again.

"Don't underestimate me!"

* * *

><p>Hours later, Naruto groaned as he pushed himself up from the sand for the umpteenth time. He had lost count of the number of times he had been knocked into the sand ages ago and he was so freaking sore all over from his sparring with Minato. He knew that if not the sand cushioning the impact, he would have been in greater pain. He grimaced as he gingerly prodded at one of the bruises on his torso. Minato still looked fresh as though he hadn't been engaged in sparring just moments ago, much to his annoyance. Rolling to his feet and curiously eyeing the ocean, he asked, "That reminds me… Where are we anyway?"<p>

Minato's smile faded slightly. He faced Naruto and answered soberly, "We're in Wave Country – this used to be known as Whirlpool Country, your mother's homeland."

Naruto was surprised by the fact that he was in Wave Country – this didn't look like the part he had been to before with his team. He replied, "Weird. This doesn't look like the part of Wave Country I went to with my team… Wait, you said this used to be my mother's homeland? Whirlpool Country? How come I've never heard of it?"

Minato sat down on the sand beside Naruto and was silent for a few thoughtful moments. He finally said, "I'm not surprised you wouldn't know of Whirlpool Country. It was destroyed long before I was born. But in its heyday, Whirlpool Country used to be quite powerful and it also had a village of ninja called Uzushiogakure or Uzushio for short. Konoha and Uzushio were strong allies and this can be still seen in the uniforms we Konoha nin wear."

Minato drew a spiral symbol in the sand and pointed at Naruto's red spiral symbol on his jacket. He continued, "This symbol is Uzushio's just as the leaf swirl belongs to Konoha."

"Okay…" Naruto nodded in understanding. He looked at Minato and peppered him with questions, "So my mother… She was from Uzushio right? Was she also a ninja? What did she look like? What was she like?"

Minato held up a hand and chuckled, "One question at a time. Yes, your mother was originally from Uzushio and she was an excellent ninja."

With a wistful smile, he looked at Naruto and ruffled his hair; "She was also the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. There was no one quite like her with her distinctive long red hair and violet eyes. But oh, her temper was legendary! She was nicknamed "Bloody Habanero" and she was quite fearsome in the battlefield. I actually was quite intimidated by her when we were both in Academy."

Naruto's eyes were wide and he was eagerly hanging on to every word he said. He pressed him, "And…? What was her name?"

"Her name was Uzumaki Kushina. You have her surname and her looks. In fact, you are very much her son all the way down to your personality though you've inherited my colouring, judging from your first reaction when you saw me…", Minato answered with a rueful grin.

"How did she…die?" Naruto hesitantly asked, desperately wanting to know what happened to his mother. Minato sighed deeply, feeling a wave of sadness come over him as he remembered his wife's last moments. He took a moment to gaze at the sea to recollect himself and find the best way to break it to his son.

"She…died giving birth to you. She loved you so much that she willingly sacrificed her life for yours."

"So, I…killed her?" Naruto's voice was so quiet that it was almost lost beneath the sound of the waves. Minato frowned and swiftly pulled Naruto to his side, refusing to let go when the boy immediately tried to escape, "Don't. Don't ever think like that! You're not responsible for your mother's death. If Kushina were here, she would smack you silly and tell you to get on with your life and be happy. That's the kind of person she was. She _loved _you."

Naruto stiffened and his eyes grew wide. He quickly ducked his head, not wanting Minato to see his face. His father wouldn't have any of it and hugged his son, pulling him even closer to reassure him. Thankfully, Naruto didn't resist as he tentatively leaned into the embrace. Minato faintly smiled when he felt his son's arms hug him tightly and his shirt grow wet. Naruto was really Kushina's son…he even cried the same way she did. Minato gave his son a comforting squeeze and dropped an affectionate kiss on top of his head as he hummed, looking out to the sea.

* * *

><p>Bloodcurdling roars echoed through the dark tunnels of Otogakure. Yakushi Kabuto, the grey-haired bespectacled medic-nin wasn't perturbed by the loud noise that had sent many other Sound nin scuttling in fear away from Orochimaru's quarters. After all, he was Orochimaru's right-hand man and in charge of his health as the chief medic. Clucking his tongue in mild irritation, he knocked politely on the door and after a length of time; he entered the dim room and was hit with the revolting humid stench of blood and decay.<p>

Orochimaru was seated in his throne in the centre of the room, sweating with exertion. His mouth was flecked with blood and his bandages on his arms were brown. The flesh that peaked out from under the bandages was black with gangrene. Kabuto methodically changed the bandages for the crippled Orochimaru, unperturbed by the sight of the decaying arms that were practically falling apart. He neutrally commented, "Whatever the Hokage did to you, there seems to be no cure. The rate of disintegration is increasing beyond my ability to control. Should we retrieve the Uchiha from Konoha now?"

Orochimaru hissed sibilantly, his golden eyes alit with fury and pain. Damn that old monkey! He had taken away his ability to perform jutsu by stealing his arms! His plans were set back by at least three years and he had failed to invade Konoha. Now Suna was Konoha's ally ever since it found out that Oto was behind the Kazekage's murder. Orochimaru sharply ordered, "Send the Sound Four to retrieve the Uchiha boy! I want him here within a week! I want to transfer to his body."

"Understood, Orochimaru-sama."

"…Kabuto. In the meantime, I want us to go to Otafuku Gai. Word has it that a certain legendary medic is there."

"Senju Tsunade the Slug Sannin. How are you going to convince her to heal you?"

Kabuto was intrigued. To get such an opportunity to meet a legend in the field of healing… Orochimaru smirked and he replied, "I'm going to make her an offer she can't refuse."

* * *

><p>Namikaze Minato tossed and turned in his bed, his brows drawn into a frown. He was unable to sleep, his dreams filled with disturbing images and his body felt too cold. Hissing through his teeth, he finally sat up, shivering violently despite it being a warm summer night. He felt deathly cold like he had been buried in ice. In contrast, his eyes felt as though they were burning and he quickly pressed the palms of his cold hands to them in an attempt to soothe the uncomfortable sensation. Minato also felt a deep ravening hunger; it was so acute that it ached.<p>

Gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, Minato forced himself to tolerate the Hunger and the burn in his eyes with the help of meditation techniques taught to him by the Toad Sages. Admittedly, they were rather rusty, partly because he had been, well, _dead_ for over a decade and he'd given up on them long before that in his youth when he realised that no amount of practice was going to give him the ability to attain Sage mode when he possessed zero ability to sense Nature Chakra, much less manipulate it. So realistically speaking, he was out of practice for almost two decades.

His failure to achieve Sage mode would, however, lead him to create his masterpiece Hiraishin. He had become rather frustrated and developed the Hiraishin in drunken pique – a crazy concept that miraculously worked solely for him and an inventively gory end for others (an Iwa nin had splattered his individual atoms in randomly artistic ways across the landscape and him when he tried using his sealed kunai – it had been quite a traumatising sight and both friend and foe learnt very quickly never to mess with Minato's sealed kunais.) Even to this day, he still wasn't quite sure how he managed to devise the seal array whilst completely inebriated on unhealthy amounts of potent alcohol without blowing himself to Yomi come.

After what seemed like a painful eternity, the hunger and burn in his eyes finally ebbed away much to his grateful relief. Cautiously removing his hands from his watery eyes, Minato blinked furiously, distractedly noting that he didn't feel cold anymore. Suddenly feeling extremely exhausted and woozy, he felt his grip on consciousness slipping through his fingers. As his eyes drifted shut, he faintly wondered what was happening to him.

* * *

><p>In the middle of white nothingness, a bamboo mat floated and on top of the mat, two divine beings sat across a go board. The divine entity on the right did not look anything but divine, with its monstrous hannya mask with bulging eyes, long horns jutting from its forehead and sharp fangs set in a cruel and leering mouth. The god's white hair was long and wild. Her (yes, <em>her<em>) flesh was the pallid grey of corpses and her hands that peeked out from her long billowing sleeves of her white funereal kimono were skeletal and tipped with claw-like fingers. Her name was Izanami, goddess of death.

On the left sat another god, whose face was handsome and proud, his features aristocratic. His black hair was neatly combed and he wore a kanmuri. He wore the finest robes that were richly embroidered and shimmered with the heavenly glow of the moon and sun. He held a fan in his right hand made from lightning and thunder. His name was Izanagi, god of creation. He questioned, "What have you done, Izanami?"

Izanami seemed to smile behind her mask as she lifted a black stone from her stone bowl and placed it down on the board with a soft _'pachi'_. Her voice was low and rasping, reminiscent of rustling leaves and scraping metal, "I'm playing a game." _Why else?_

"_Izanami._ You're not referring to our game, are you? What are you thinking? Bringing a mortal back alive from Yomi?" Izanagi rapped his fan on the mat in consternation. Izanami laughed throatily, "He's an interesting mortal. Besides, your children have been having too much fun in the mortal world and it's time to do a bit of… how did the mortals put it? Ah yes, 'cleaning house'."

"…Cleaning house?" Izanagi parroted, unfamiliar with the odd phrase. Izanami tilted her head and mockingly said, "Oh really now, for someone who's part of the above, you should be more familiar with the mortals' ways than someone like me who's from Yomi. They have such lovely and creative ways of swearing like these Uzumaki people for example. But I digress."

"But you weren't from Yomi originally." Izanagi said and he immediately regretted his words, as Izanami grew stonily quiet. The deep silence rang through out the whole space as Izanami glared icily at Izanagi.

"Yes, brother-husband, I wasn't from Yomi originally. You know the whole story of how and why I'm now part of Yomi. You know why I wear this mask. Do not anger me any further."

Izanagi was red with shame and Izanami derived great pleasure in seeing him so flustered. She gazed over the board and said, "In any case, I have made a deal with this mortal. He will be my agent on the mortal world and get rid of the mess your children have made. It's also a game to see if he can beat that bitch, Destiny. And well, his situation is certainly unique enough…"

"But you can't interfere!" Izanagi protested.

"Shut up, Izanagi. Your policy of non-interference has created a huge mess on the mortal world and by proxy, _my_ world. I grow tired of mortals persistently escaping from my realm and mortals abusing the boons your children gave them. It's awful how much paperwork they've caused. Do I have to remind you of the Jyuubi incident? You're lucky that the Rikudo Sennin was stupidly heroic enough to stop your pet from rampaging and creating a flood of paperwork in the process. You know that I hate _paperwork_ more than your guts. So keep me happy and I won't send shikome after you." Izanami sardonically replied.

Izanagi shuddered at the mention of shikome and he meekly conceded, "Alright, you can do whatever it is you have in mind. But please whatever you do, don't destroy the time-space continuum! The Fate sisters charge astronomical sums for repairing it!"

Izanami chuckled and only said; "It's your move now."


End file.
